Victoria University

College of Engineering and Science

NEE3201 INTRODUCTION TO CONTROL SYSTEMS
Experiment 3 Root-Locus Design with rltool of Matlab

Objective

To design a unity-feedback control system by the root-locus method.

Introduction

Root-locus method is an important method for designing closed-loop control systems. It graphically relates the positions of closed-loop poles to the positions of
open-loop poles and open-loop zeros when a tunable parameter (usually a gain
term) varies. By taking advantage of the concept of dominant closed-loop poles,
root-locus method allows transient response of a closed-loop system to be shaped
by graphically designing an appropriate compensator in the s-plane.

Design Problem

In this experiment, you have to design a cascade controller C(s) for a unity feedback
control system with the plant transfer function
G(s) =

1
s+2

The unity feedback control system must satisfies the following set of specifications:
1. The closed-loop step response from the reference input to the output has zero
steady-state error.
2. The closed-loop step response has a peak overshoot of about 16%.
3. The closed-loop step-response has a 2% settling time of not more than 2
seconds.

Procedure

4.1

Part 1

1. By appropriately defining the values of the vectors numG and denG follows
by using the Matlab command sysG=tf(numG,denG), define the system sysG
that represents the plant transfer function G(s).
1

2. Use the command rltool at the Matlab prompt to invoke the CAD tool for
root-locus design.
3. Left click on Control and Estimation Tools Manager in the task bar. In
the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window that appears, select
Architecture at the top of the window with a left click, then left click on
System Data. Replace the value of 1 in G by sysG follows by clicking OK.
4. Select Analysis Plots at the top of the Control and Estimation Tools
Manager window and check the box for Closed Loop r to y, then use the
pull down manu to select step for Plot 1. You should see a step response
appears in the LTI Viewer window. This is the step response of the closedloop system defined by the system data in the specified architecture, where
G(s) =

1
,
s+2

C(s) = 1,

H(s) = 1,

F (s) = 1

5. Right click in the plot area of the LTI Viewer window and select Grid by a
left click in the manu that appears.
Note that the steady-state error is not zero. Why?
6. Left click on Graphic Tuning at the top of the Control and Estimation
Tools Manager window. Left click on Plot 1 and then use the riight most
pull down manu to select root locus (by a left click) for Plot 1. You should
now see a root-locus plot appearing in the SISO Design window. Note that
this is the root locus of a unity-feedback control system (because H(s) = 1 in
the feedback path) with the plant transfer function G(s) and a proportional
controller (because C(s) = K) in the forward path. There is a small pink
square located on the root locus. This is the position of the closed-loop pole
when K = 1. You can verify these by selecting Architecture follows by
System Data.
7. With the LTI Viewer window and the SISO Design window appearing sideby-side, left click on the small pink square (the position of the closed-loop pole
in the SISO Design window) and drag it with the small hand to a new
position along the root locus. You should be able to observe the corresponding
change of the closed-loop step response in the LTI Viewer window.
8. Now return to the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window and
left click on Architecture follows by System Data. You should note that
the value of C(s) (i.e. K) is no longer equal to the original value (which was
1). This new value is the value of K corresponding to the new position of the
closed-loop pole.
4.2

Part 2

1. At the top of the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window, left
click on Compensator Editor.

2. Right click in the Dynamics area to add poles/zeros to the controller C(s).
Left click on the Real Pole option and change the position of the pole to be
added from 1 to 0 (you need to press the Enter key to effect this change).
You have now changed the controller from a proportional controller to an
integral controller. You should also change the value of the constant term K
in C(s) to 1 (you need ot press the Enter key to effect the change).
3. Open the SISO Design window to observe the changes in the root locus.
Particularly, note that the system is now a second-order system instead of a
first-order system.
4. Open the LTI Viewer window to observe the closed-loop step response. Note
that the required zero steady-state error is achieved .
5. Change the value of the gain constant K in C(s) from 1 to 4. You should now
see that the closed-loop step response in the LTI Viewer window has been
sped up.
6. You should verify that the peak overshoot in the closed-loop step response is
about 16% and the 2% settling time is about 4 seconds. You should also
check that the corresponding complex closed-loop poles of the root-locus plot
in the SISO Design window has a damping ratio of = 0.5. (It may be helpful
to right click in the plot area and use left click to select Grid).
7. At the top of the SISO Design window, left click View to display the values of
the closed-loop poles. Check that the closed-loop poles are at s = 1 j1.732.
8. At the top of the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window, left
click on Compensator Editor. Record the transfer function of the controller
C(s) displays there.
9. Print (or save) all of the relevant graphs.
4.3

Part 3

1. As the 2% settling time of the closed-loop system obtained in Part 2 is about

4 seconds, the required specification on settling time is not met. In orfer to
decrease the 2% settling time from 4 seconds to 2 seconds while maintaining
the peak overshoot at 16%, we ahve to keep the two complex closed-loop poles
on the = 0.5 radial line while doubling their distance from the origin (i.e.
doubling the value of n ). That is, the desired closed-loop poles should be
located at s = 2 (1 j1.732).
2. Currently, the open-loop poles are at s = 0 and s = 2 and the root locus as
obtained in Part 2 will not pass through the desired closed-loop pole locations
at s = 2 j3.464 because the angle condition of root locus is not satisfied.
This can be verified by calculating the angle of difficiency at s = 2 + j3.464.
3. To satisfy the angle condition of root locus at s = 2 + j3.464, we need to
introduce a pair of compensation pole and zero into C(s) to cater for the angle
3

of difficiency. It is easy to see that there are an infinite number of possible

solutions.
You should verify by manual calculations that a compensator pole at s = 5.4
together with a compensator zero at s = 2.9 will allow the angle condition of
root locus to be satisfied at s = 2 + j3.464.
4.4

Part 4

1. At the top of the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window, left
click on Compensator Editor.
2. Right click on the Dynamics area to add poles/zeros to the controller C(s).
Left click on the Real Pole option and change the position of the compensation
pole to be added from 1 to5.4
3. Repeat the previous step but left click the Real Zero option. Change the
position of the compensation zero to be added from 1 to 2.9.
4. Now open the SISO Design window to observe the changes in the root locus.
Particularly, verify that the complex closed-loop poles can now be placed at
s = 2 j3.464. This can be done by repeatedly moving one of the complex
closed-loop poles along the root locus with the small hand and using the
View option to display the values of the closed-loop poles.
5. After the complex closed-loop poles are placed at s = 2 j3.464, open the
LTI Viewer window to observe the corresponding closed-loop step response.
Check whether the specified peak overshoot of 16% is maintained. If it is not
maintained, why?
6. If the peak overshoot of the closed-loop step response is more than 16%, perform fine adjustment of the closed-loop poles in the SISO Design window
with the small hand until the peak overshoot of the closed-loop step response shown in the LTI Viewer window is 16%.
7. Determine the 2% settling time of the closed-loop step response in the LTI
Viewer window and verify that it is not more than 2 seconds.
8. At the top of the Control and Estimation Tools Manager window, left
click on Compensator Editor. Record the transfer function of the final
controller C(s) displays there. Also record the positions and damping ratios of
all the closed-loop poles (use the View option at the top of the SISO Design
window). Print (or save) all the relevant graphs.
Why the damping ratio of the complex closed-loop poles needs to be greater than
0.5 for the peak overshoot of the closed-loop step response to be 16%?

Report

The completed type-written individual laboratory report must be submitted to the Laboratory Supervisor within two weeks after the experiment is performed.
Late reports will not be accepted, unless approval has been granted
through Special Consideration applied according to VU Regulations and
Procedure.
The report must include (but not limited to):
Answers to all questions on the laboratory sheet.
All plots displaying the responses.
All the m-files used to produce the plots.
All the analyses that explain, support or verify the experimental results obtained.

Wee Sit LEE/latex/NEE3201 2016 Sem 2/Lab3.tex